Our View: Obamacare finding its customers

Thursday

Mar 27, 2014 at 7:20 AMMar 27, 2014 at 7:20 AM

For what the Obamacare website went through during its first couple of months, 5 million sign-ups so far for new insurance plans under the health care law doesn't sound so bad to us. In fact, it indicates that there is strong demand. The administration expects about 6 million will enroll when the window closes at the end of March.The health care law requires most Americans to have health insurance or face a $95 penalty or 1 percent of their income this year.Initially, the Congressional Budget Office had expected 7 million people would sign up by March 31, but after it became clear that healthcare.gov and state-based websites were having problems, that number was revised downward.The mix of enrollees continues to be a concern - not enough young, healthy people have signed up. And problems remain with the online health insurance marketplace requiring time-consuming fixes. The Massachusetts website is still troubled.So clearly, there are problems that require fixes. But insurers selling plans on the marketplace seem to be pleased with the response. And the administrationís decision this week extending the deadline for those who have begun the enrollment process seems reasonable.Obamacare isn't perfect - and the rollout was anything but perfect. It was downright awful. But to have 5 million people signed up despite these frustrations says something about what people need and want. Obamacare remains a reasonable way for them to get it.

Market Place

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA ~ 33 New York Ave., Framingham, MA 01701 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service